Lil Wayne has spoken out about why he was so nervous about working with Eminem for the first time.
Eminem and Lil Wayne first worked together when they both appeared on Drake's 2009 song 'Forever' which also featured Kanye West.
The duo later united for songs such as 'Drop the World' for Lil Wayne's 2010 album Rebirth and Eminem's 2010 album Recovery for the song 'No Love'.
However, despite now having collaborated multiple times and being close friends, Lil Wayne - real name Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. - has admitted it was daunting to reach out to the real Slim Shady to rap together for the first time.
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When he asked Eminem 'for a song,' Lil Wayne told The New York Times he was 'scared'.
The 40-year-old continued: "That is a monster. He must have the same thing I have with words. Like, we can’t get them out of our heads. Every meaning, every aspect of them. Things that rhyme, we hear it.
"I already know the gift and the curse that he has. And I love to hear the way he puts it together."
But the pair's friendship has come a long way since then, only continuing to blossom.
Lil Wayne explained: "I did a bunch of joints with Em, that’s ma man. When you get on that joint with Em it’s like a championship game, and you win it, and they ask you how does it feel. I came in with my game plan and I expected my game plan to work.
"When you send a song to Em you attack it like that, like Nah, yo not going to do me like this. Either we going be right here (level) with it, and we’re going to make a beautiful, wonderful great song, but you ain’t going do me that (above me). And that’s what we did.
"Can nobody say anybody got bodied. I just made sure that he didn’t body me, cause that boy is a monster."
And the healthy competition obviously doesn't just stop at smoking joints, but extends into the world of music too.
Just because the rappers are friends and have collaborated, doesn't mean the game isn't on to beat one another to be considered the greatest rapper all time.
When Billboard published its 50 greatest rappers of all time earlier this year, Lil Wayne spoke out after coming in at seventh place opposed to Eminem who came in at number five.
Lil Wayne reflected: "I will tell you that I am a motherf***ing one. Everybody whose names you named, they also know I'm number one. Go ask 'em. They know what it is."
Poppy Bilderbeck